‘Killing Them Softly,’ ‘The Collection’: Review Revue

This week at the multiplex, we’ve got an efficient enforcer (“Killing Them Softly,” starring Brad Pitt and Richard Jenkins) and a methodical madman (“The Collection,” a sequel to 2009′s “The Collector”). Find out what the critics have to say on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Killing Them Softly”

The economic collapse of 2008 didn’t just deep six Wall Street — it put the squeeze on the underground economy as well. That’s the theme of “Killing Them Softly,” a twisty crime thriller that critics say is sharply written and visually striking, though it occasionally pushes its big ideas too hard. After a couple of incompetent crooks steal from a mafia-sanctioned poker game, the family sends Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt) to rub them out. However, the mafia’s corporation-like structure makes Jackie’s task more complicated at nearly every turn. “Killing Them Softly” is Certified Fresh at 81 percent on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer; here are some of the reviews:

Fresh: “[Director Andrew Dominik] shows an open appreciation for his actors and for the way tough guys, aspiring and genuine, talk to each other — and ‘Killing Them Softly’ is as much centered around talking as it is action.” — Alison Willmore, Movieline

Fresh: “Its characters may be desperate low-lifes, but Dominik’s bold filmmaking sends you out of the theater on an exhilarating high.” — Chris Hewitt, St. Paul Pioneer Press

Rotten: “The movie is more concerned with conjuring an aura of meaningfulness than with actually meaning anything.” — A.O. Scott, New York Times

“The Collection”

“The Collection” is a sequel to the 2009 frightfest “The Collector,” and critics say it’s an improvement — it’s a sleek, twisted, and well acted, though it intermittently gets bogged down in predictability and gratuitous bloodiness. Thinking she’s going to a party, Elena (Emma Fitzpatrick) is taken to a mysterious location, only to wind up in the clutches of the murderous Collector. In order to retrieve her, a rescue squad turns to Arkin (Josh Stewart), the only one to ever escape the Collector’s clutches. “The Collection” is currently at 53 percent on the Tomatometer; here’s what some of the critics say:

Fresh: “Remarkably, the result manages to be both more preposterous and more efficient than its predecessor, with a couple of deaths occurring so swiftly they border on the subliminal.” — Clark Collis, Entertainment Weekly

Fresh: “For those who are on board, it’s a more absurd yet equally efficient bit of grisly fun; for those who never were, don’t expect this one to change your mind regarding mindless bloodshed.” — William Goss, Film.com